Four crew members of an unflagged ship that U.S. officials say was carrying Iranian missile parts are scheduled to appear in federal court in Virginia on Tuesday, and prosecutors are holding them without bail pending trial. He appears to be arguing that he should be detained.
On the night of January 11, members of the U.S. Central Command Naval Forces, including Navy SEALs, and the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Team boarded the ship in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. Two Navy SEALs drowned during the operation.
U.S. officials said Naval Special Warfare Pilot 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers slipped into a gap created by high waves between the ship and a SEAL fighter jet. As Chambers collapsed, Naval Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped in to save him, according to U.S. officials familiar with what happened. Efforts to find and rescue them were unsuccessful.
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During the search of the ship, the U.S. military discovered and seized advanced Iranian-made conventional weapons, including critical components, warheads, and propulsion and guidance components for intermediate-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, FBI agents wrote. Ta. Affidavit. The agent said the items found matched weapons used by Houthi rebels in recent attacks on commercial ships and US military vessels in the region.
All four had Pakistani identity cards.
Iranian missile components destined for Yemen’s Houthis have been seized from a ship in the Arabian Sea. On February 22, 2024, four foreign nationals were charged with transporting weapons believed to be Iranian-made. (U.S. Central Command via AP, File)
Mohammad Palawan is charged with attempting to smuggle advanced missile components, including warheads, which he allegedly knew would be used by Houthi rebels against commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters. has been done. He is also charged with providing false information to U.S. Coast Guard personnel while on board the vessel.
Palawan’s co-defendants Mohammad Mazar, Ghufran Ullah and Izhar Muhammad were also charged with providing false information.
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Lawyers for the men declined to comment.
An additional 10 crew members are being held under the federal Vital Witness Act. This law allows a court to issue a warrant for a person’s arrest and detention if the testimony is “material in a criminal proceeding” and “the subpoena may make it impossible to secure the person’s presence.” is permitted to be issued.
An FBI affidavit states that the crew had multiple satellite phone calls with members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards militia.
